Process of extracting copper from carbonate and oxid ores.



COPIJER FROM CARBON AT PROGBSS 0F EXTRAGTING APPLwATIoN FILED JUNPatented'Nov. 3, 19M.

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iE-Y R. ELLIS. F SALT LAKE C'E'Y, UTAH.

PROCESS QF BIXTRAGTING COEER FROM CARBONATE ANI) EID Munk ifiisei.

State ofv Utah, have` invented certain new an d useful Improvements inProcesses of EX@ tracting Copper from Carbonate and @Xiti Ores, of whichthe following is a specicun tion.

'1o In the patent granted me April 14, 1903,

No. 725,548, I have described and claimed 4:i process for the extractionof copper from its carbonate ancloxid-V ores, in which i einployed, asasolvent, en aqueous solution containing carbonate or bicarbonate oisodium or potassium, or mixtures of the seine, and from which the coper,- in metailie form, was extreetci 'by e ectroivsis'er us e sulfid.

42'() Mypresent invention consists in treating the above named solutionsby smell pieces of metallic leal for the purpose of precipitating thecopperiand preferablymaintaining the 'small pieces of lead in a.condition or".

agitation with rietione-l Contact of: the par tides, Yes hereinaftermore fully described with reference to the drawing, in which. the.figure is a vertical longituciinei section o e simple form` ofapparatus 'for carrying out ..80 the process.

In ,the drawing, A is the tank composed of any material cep'able ofresisting the ai tack of the solution. B ie a horizonte] tumbling barrelof simi- !i' lar resisting quality arranged on a horizon tel shaft CWitbii. the sidewalls of the tenir. and. provided with a pulley D forits slow revolution. K

The tumblin barrel is provided with e through which the small pieces oileed Lareintroiiuced, and the sides of this tumbling borrelareperforet'ed with holes Z1. lVithm the tank A. is piaceri the solutioncontaining'the copper formed by 45 the action of 4the alkaline carbonatesolution on the carbonate and oxici ores of eo iper; this solution beingmade to completely subl merge the lead in the barrel B. The barrel isthen slowly rotated with ihe pieces of 50 lead immersed in the solution.

The lead may be used in the forni of pel- "lets orsmall bers, or othersimili perticies,

. in which the leed perisicles capable-'of rubbing againsteach otherwith en erosive and abrasive or rictional actionn The copper, inmetallic form, precipitates upon the Specification of Letters Patent.

"velocity of the copper applicati@ sie@ miei. wie sera! No. 842,941.

lead and is i'ulibeil oli by the frictional ectionoi" the lead particlesrubbing against each other. The copper, being in a fine stef'te ofsubdivision. pue," ont Voir. the barrel through the perforation's, esdoes also the carbonate of lead tor-ined in the reaction. The copper andthe carbonate oi' ieufl filtered or settled out of the solution and thesolution returned to the ore for a further extraction oi' copper und theprecipiteing process islgone through with again.

The metallic copper und the lead carbonate precipitate muy be washed toi'ree the copper of'theleaflycarbonate. This muy be ei'ected in variousways. One of them" is 'to agitato the precipitate with water, and, asthe settling is greater than that of the leed carbonate, the copper goesto lle bottom/and the ciirbonate of lead re eins in suspension. Thewater is i'lrs'wn oiimv and the carbonate of leacl with it. After thisSepe ration, the lead carbonate is seperated from the Water and heatedwith carbon, or other reducing agent, to reiliuce it to metallic leed,and then be used over a gein or the mixed precipitate of metallic copperand lead carbo nate i :ty be melted and .the @xiii iea, which is formedon top, is skimmeiifo and then reduced to metallic lead and used. overagain. The precipitation. may, be cora pletely carried out in one tankcontaining flowing from one tank to the next iii-l finished in the insbtank.

Another way to use the metallic lead to precipitate the copper .is touse it in the for ot' dust und. thenagitate the copper charged solutionwith 'tbc lead (lust in suspension., much in the saine wey that zincdust is lused with cyaniol solutions. The precipitate of metallic copperand lead carbonate is embed from 'the copper as nientionecl above, thelead carbonate or oiicl reduced to me tallic lessi and converted intodust and used over again toprecipitate the copper.

i. The process of extracting and recovern or oxide of copper, whichconsists in subieciiiie' suoli oresor materials to the action bie'soiution con'seining an alkaline carbon 7ateor bicarbonate describeii,separating or materials and precipitating the copper tcreci or setfcieriout, the lecci carbonate seping copper filoni iis carbonate lor oxiciores, or from materials containing the carbone-tee the copper chargedsolution frein such oresthe barrel, or iii a. series of them, 'thesolution from-'such soimion by ineens of. meaiiic Reed.

L The process ofextrecting enti recovering coppe-i or from'mcteiiais'containing the carbonates or .oxids of copper which consists oftreatin' "sueii ores with e.. soiution containing an nl elinev earbonaeorfqoicerbonwbe as deseribed, eeparzizing the copper charged solutionfrom auch ores or 1meterisiis and preoipitziting the copper from suchsolutions by means of ineiy divided `.rnetriiic leed,

substantially es describedv 3, The process of extreeting and recoveringcopper from its carbonate and oXid ores, or from materiels containingthe carbonates from its carbonate and oxid ores or oxide of copper,which consists otreating such ores with a solution containing analkaline carbonate or bicarbonate es escribed, separating the coppercharged solution from such ores or materials, precipitilting the copperfrom such solutions by means' of finely divided metallic leerd 'andmaintaining the lead particles in a condition of lf'rietionai agitationagainst each other. substantially as escribed.

In testimony whereof l :Linx my signature in presence of Wo witnesses.

HENRY B. ELLIS.

'Witnesses s Gnomes if. WAssoN. A. C. Ennis, Jr.

